Will Porter returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss how the US military is being impacted by the coronavirus. Will explains that several DoD personnel have now tested positive and many soldiers are in quarantine. The Pentagon has scaled back some games, although others have been able to continue. The close quarters' soldiers live in - especially on ships - makes it likely the coronavirus will spread quickly. However, this has not prevented hawks in the Trump administration from pushing war with Iran.
On the first bonus episode of Foreign Policy Focus, Steven Clyde of the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus joins the show to talk about the $2 trillion bailouts passed by Congress. The establishment claims the "stimulus" is meant to benefit all Americans in a difficult situation created by the coronavirus. However, it is a bailout to the rich, the political class, and large corporations for an economic rot that existed long before the coronavirus existed. The rest of us will get just enough to keep most Americans from realizing that the government is again stealing from us to enrich their friends, families, and donors.
Steven Clyde is the Content Director for the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus.
Joanne Leon returns to FPF to discuss the five year anniversary of the US/Saudi war on Yemen. The anniversary has received almost no media coverage in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. Ironically, the five years of war in Yemen has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis - making Yemen one of the most likely to be devastated by a coronavirus. The US/Saudi/UAE/UK bombing campaign has intentionally targeted the civilian in fracture of Yemen. Now - before coronavirus even reaches Yemen - 24 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and millions of children are at risk of starvation. Yemen must be remembered and the war must end.
Joanne Leon is the host of the Around the Empire podcast.
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John Dangelo joins Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the dangerous EARN IT Act. While the bill claims to protect children, in reality, it will allow for mass regulation of communication on the internet. It will roll back the key Section 230 rule that allows for websites to have comment sections on their sites. More importantly, the bill takes aim at encryption and could forces companies to build governments a back door. John also talks about coronavirus. John is a former combat vet and currently an ER nurse. He uses those experiences to explain how coronavirus could impact war zones.
John A. Dangelo III, a former marine turned anti-war advocate. Today He is a nurse in an emergency department. He is a new dad and a student. His work has been published at Antiwar.com and Libertarian Institute. He runs AntiwarWarVet.com.
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Will Porter returns to the show to discuss the Trump admin's move towards war with Iran. The recent events happened under the cover of the coronavirus and got little attention in the MSM. Trump's civilian advisers pushed him to carry out strikes within Iran, and it was the military leaders - Secretary of Defense and Head of the Joint Chiefs - that disagreed with striking Iran. Fortunately, Trump decided not to strike Iran because of the corona outbreak. Will and Kyle explain how the instability in Iraq - and Trump's hawkish advisers - could eventually push Trump to strike Iran.
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On FPF #467, I discuss the deaths caused by coronavirus and US sanctions in Iran. The country has been one of the hardest hit by the outbreak so far and continues to struggle to import medical supplies due to the US sanctions. North Korean and Venezuela are in a similar position but so far have not had a serious outbreak of corona. Countries like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen are also at heightened risk as years of American warfare has wrecked the countries' medical and humanitarian networks.
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Will Arkin on the militaries martial law plans
Peter Quinones returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the state's right to murder and the lack of accountability. Pete first explains how the flawed US justice systems has put innocent people to death. He discusses how police are able to kill people and avoid all accountability. Pete and Kyle look at the issue of war and how the government gets to slaughter people in mass.
Peter R. Quinones is managing editor of the Libertarian Institute and hosts the Free Man Beyond the Wall podcast. He released his first book, Freedom Through Memedom – The 31-day Guide to Waking Up to Liberty in November 2017. It reached #4 in the Libertarian Section on Amazon. He is currently co-producing a documentary entitled, “The Monopoly on Violence,” which is scheduled for a 2020 release.
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Will Porter returns to the show to talk about the chaos in Iraq. Over the weekend, the US bombed several positions claiming to be striking back against the "Iranian-backed" Shia group that killed two Americans and a British soldier. However, the Iraqi government reports the US only killed Iraqi soldiers, police, and civilians. Will explains what the US is trying to do in Iraq and how Trump's policy is failing.
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On FPF #464, I discuss Chelsea Manning and the US bombing Shia militias in Iraq. Chelsea Manning was imprisoned for a year for refusing to testify in front of a grand jury about leaking documents to WikiLeaks. Manning took the stand for Julian Assange - who the grand jury was empaneled to investigate - and against the unjust grand jury system. Manning attempted suicide before learning she would be released this week.
A recent attack on an Iraqi base killed two American soldiers and one British soldier. The attack was blamed on "Iranian-backed" Shia militias. However, the US or UK government failed to provide any proof for this claim. The lack of evidence did not stop the US and UK from jointly bombing several Shia militia targets in Iraq.
On FPF #463, I discuss the political instability caused by two different men claiming to be president. Incumbent Ashraf Ghani and his former Cheif Executive Abdullah Abdullah have both claimed victory in an election that happened in September. They exploit the rampant violence, extortion, and voter fraud that surrounded the election to claim their victory. It appears that Ghani will remain the president recognized by the US.
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Will Porter returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the International Criminal Court's inquiry into US war crimes committed in Afghanistan. Will looks at the alleged crimes, like torture, that will be investigated. Kyle updates the situation in Afghanistan a week after the "peace deal" with the Taliban was signed. Will and Kyle review the first week of the agreement.
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On FPF #461, I discuss Congress pushing for war more than Trump. A new bill in the House looks to prevent the US from drawing down troops in Africa. Throughout the Trump presidency, Congress has a history of attempting to prevent Trump from drawing down forces or removing sanctions. At the same time, Congress is almost completely ignoring Trump deploying troops and fighting undeclared wars.
On FPF #460, I discuss the chaotic and dangerous situation unfolding in Idlib, Syria. Turkey is backing the al-Qaeda linked rebels who remain in opposition to the Syrian government. The Syrian Army - along with its Russian ally - are attempting to retake the Idlib Province of Syria. Turkey is invading Syria in an attempt to prevent this from happening. Turkey has asked the US and European allies to get involved and establish a no-fly zone over Idlib. The no-fly zone would result in the US shooting down Russian planes. NATO rejected Turkey's demands. Now Turkey is allowing some of the 3 million refugees - who settled in Turkey during the Syrian War - to cross into Europe. Turkey hopes this will pressure the European powers to act in Syria.
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Will Porter returns to FPF to discuss the peace deal signed by the Taliban and the US government. The deal did not include the Afghan government. It calls for the US to drop troop levels to 8.600 within 135 days and a full withdraw of US forces in 14 months. The deal is rumored to have secret annexes that would allow the US to keep counterterrorism force in Afghanistan. Will and Kyle explain their skepticism of the deal bringing an end to America's longest war and why calling this a peace agreement is misleading.
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